A church in St. Paul, Minnesota, became the latest flashpoint in the ongoing clashes over federal immigration enforcement, as a mob of anti-ICE protesters reportedly stormed a Sunday service, prompting a sharp rebuke from the White House.
“There is no low these radical leftists won’t stoop to,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital Monday. “Jacob Frey and Tim Walz have whipped these rioters into a frenzy and turned them loose to wreak havoc on Minneapolis.”
According to Fox News, the protesters allegedly disrupted worship at Cities Church, claiming the pastor was affiliated with ICE. Video footage shows the chaos inside the sanctuary, though local police were not visibly present.
Department of Justice officials vowed to investigate the incident, with Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon emphasizing potential federal civil rights violations.
“These people desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshipers will be held accountable,” she said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi added that “attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law.”
The unrest follows weeks of protests across the Twin Cities after federal ICE operations and the fatal shooting of activist Renee Good on January 7. Federal authorities say Good allegedly used her vehicle as a weapon, while critics argue excessive force was used.
Mayor Jacob Frey dismissed White House claims during a Sunday CBS interview, calling federal operations “not about safety” but rather a targeting of Latino and Somali communities. “People in Minneapolis are speaking up peacefully. They’re standing up for their neighbors,” Frey said.
The White House tied the incident to broader anti-ICE rhetoric, claiming Democrats and local leaders have fueled violence against federal officers. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “They’ve even referred to them as ‘Nazis’ and as ‘the Gestapo,’ and that is absolutely leading to the violence we’re seeing in the streets.”
The protest and political fallout come amid a record surge in assaults on ICE officers in Minnesota, with the Department of Homeland Security reporting a 1,153% increase in incidents over the past year, heightening tensions in an already polarized state.
The situation continues to unfold as federal, state, and local authorities grapple with the intersection of immigration enforcement, civil unrest, and public safety.
